1. Technical Field
The present inventive concept relates to an adaptive driving beam (ADB) headlamp for a vehicle and more particularly, to an ADB headlamp which forms a light distribution having segments in which a preceding or oncoming vehicle is detected.
2. Related Art
Generally, a vehicle includes various types of lamps having a lighting function and a signaling function. The lighting function enables the driver of the vehicle to detect objects around the vehicle while driving at night. The signaling function is used to inform other vehicles and road users of the vehicle's driving intentions. For example, a headlamp and a fog lamp are designed for the lighting function, and a turn signal lamp, a tail lamp, a brake lamp and a side marker are designed for the signaling function. The installation standards and specifications for these vehicle lamps are defined by law. In particular, a headlamp forms a low beam pattern or a high beam pattern to secure the driver's view ahead of the vehicle in a low light condition (e.g., at night). The headlamp therefore improves safe driving.
The headlamp normally maintains the low beam pattern to prevent a dazzle effect of the drivers of oncoming vehicles driving in the opposite direction or the drivers of preceding vehicles. However, during high-speed driving or in a low light areas the headlamp forms the the high beam pattern to ensure safe driving. In other words, the driver of a vehicle may drive with the high beam pattern by failing to recognize an oncoming vehicle or a preceding vehicle. In particular, the driver of the oncoming vehicle or the driver of the preceding vehicle may be dazzled by light, which may potentially cause a safety accident. Therefore, an adaptive driving beam (ADB) headlamp has recently been introduced. When an oncoming oncoming or preceding vehicle is sensed while the driver of a vehicle operates the high beam pattern, the ADB headlamp automatically adjusts its light irradiation angle, brightness, width and length in order to prevent a dazzle effect to the field of vision of the driver of the oncoming or preceding vehicle.
ADB headlamps for vehicles may be divided into a dynamic type and a matrix type. When an oncoming vehicle or a preceding vehicle is sensed, a headlamp of the dynamic type may form a dark zone in a space in which the oncoming vehicle or the preceding vehicle is located by changing its angle using a swivel actuator. Conversely, a headlamp of the matrix type may form the dark zone in the space in which the oncoming vehicle or the preceding vehicle is located by selectively turning on or off a plurality of light sources. In a matrix type ADB headlamp, a plurality of light sources are densely arranged to prevent the formation of a dark zone due to a gap between a plurality of partial patterns formed by beams emitted respectively from the light sources. This increases the number of components, resulting in an increase in manufacturing costs. For example, since a plurality of light sources are densely arranged to prevent partial patterns formed by beams emitted from adjacent light sources from being separated from each other, the number of light sources is increased, which increases manufacturing costs.
Additionally, each of the partial patterns formed by the beams emitted from the light sources has an irradiation range of a specific angle. When the size of a sensed preceding or oncoming vehicle is less than the irradiation range of a partial pattern formed by any one light source, an unnecessary dark zone may be formed by the turning off of the light source. Therefore, it is difficult to form a dark zone in an exact range.
The matters disclosed in this section are merely for enhancement of understanding of the general background of the invention and should not be taken as an acknowledgment or any form of suggestion that the matters form the related art already known to a person skilled in the art.